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Wind
Storm Hits Sooke Area
Pictures
In the early hours of Friday December
15th 2006, an unprecedented wind storm swept through the
area leaving pockets of destruction. It was as as if
mini tornados touched down in small areas and then
lifted again before touching down somewhere else. An
area would be totally untouched, no evidence of any wind
at all, and then around the next corner, devastation.
Many trees, large and small, would be lying around the
ground, blocking roads and crushing power/telephone
lines and poles.
The
chief was paged out approximately 4 am to assist at a
residence where a tree had fallen on the house.
Discovering that he couldn’t get out of his drive way,
he call another member to pick him up. The second member
could not get to the fire hall along Otter Point Road. A
general page was initiated to determine who was able to
make it to the hall. A very few people were able to drive to
the hall while others climbed over trees and walked there. From 4 am until
early afternoon fire crews were
working in the district clearing emergency paths
along all major roads large enough for emergency
vehicles.
Otter Point was cut off with over 15
trees across the road. Kemp Lake Road had approximately
10 trees in two different areas and West Coast Road was
blocked both at our eastern end of our district as well
as west of Otter Point.
A command post was established at the hall with the
chief and deputy chief answering phone calls and
coordinating the crews.
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